


Are You Like Me

by Super_Blue



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bisexual Aaron Hotchner, Bonding, Coming Out, F/M, Fluff, Gay, Gay Spencer Reid, Gen, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Pansexual Derek Morgan, Past Child Abuse, Protective Team, S3E17, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:46:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23351908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Super_Blue/pseuds/Super_Blue
Summary: My take on S3E17 "In Heat" Where they detain the unsub differently than they do in the show. The boys have to talk the gay unsub out of shooting and all receive their angsty moment. But Reid takes the cake for the angstiest of them all today. Fluff and comfort ensues.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & The BAU Team, Derek Morgan & The BAU Team, Spencer Reid & The BAU Team
Comments: 2
Kudos: 271





	Are You Like Me

“So how do we catch this guy?” Aaron inquired while the others went over the case board.

“Well he’s going after gay men. Men who are out and men who are not out. And because of his past it’s possible he might take pity on someone with the same experiences as him.” Morgan pointed out. “So maybe I can lure him out. Being that I am out and have had similar experience.”

“Are you sure your comfortable with doing that Morgan?” Aaron asked concerned. The team knew about Dereks past, but they weren’t quite sure how comfortable he is with his sexuality still. The team also knew that part of why Aaron wasn’t concerned with losing Hayley as much as he was with losing Jack, was because he had started to consider men as well as women. “I’m willing to do it as well if you’d prefer.”

“No I think if I do it I can relate more. He’s more likely to accept me.” Derek turned and faced smilled his dashing smile back at the team.

“Fine but we are not putting you in any danger. We can’t risk scaring him off with the whole team but I will not send him in alone. Any strategies I should hear?” Hotch also turned back to the team.

“Your right, we can’t send the whole team in. I’m thinking it should be three of us. The best strategy would be to send you, me, and Morgan. Morgan to talk him down and you and I to back him up. If we send one of the girls in he may not see them as a threat but definitely won’t see them as one of his own. And we can’t let Rossi go in because he is around the same age as his father.” Reid rambled.

“Ok sounds like a plan lets head out.”

\--  
“Morgan, remember he’s posing as Michael Aldridge. And if you feel uncomfortable at all, you tell me and we will leave. Do it another way. Understand.” Hotch said as the three prepped to go inside the hostile.

“Yes sir.” Morgan confirmed.

When they walked in and cleared everyone out they found him reaching into his bag.

“Aldridge!” Morgan shouted from across the room.

Steven turned around, hand still in the bag and acted nervous.

“I did not do anything wrong.” He said in quite a good German accent.

“We know who you really are. Don’t worry Steven we aren’t here to hurt you. We just need you to come with us. Ok?”

“No! You don’t know anything!” Steven screamed, almost but not quite losing his accent. He pulled his hand out of the bag with a gun. Suddenly the room seemed still as not a single breath was taken. Reid and Hotch quietly looked at each other and crept closer behind Morgan.

“Yes I do. I’m just like you Steven. And its ok. There’s nothing wrong with us ok?” Morgan tried to calm him down by taking one hand off his gun and holding them up.

“That’s not my name! You don’t know me! Your lying! I would know if you were telling the truth about that.” He paused as he had messed up the accent and took a breath. “They say we can tell when one of us is like us. That we know when the other is being hurt. Or was. Because we know they were wrong. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!”

“No, no Steven it’s not wrong. What your father did to you was wrong. Not the other way around.” Hotch tried to explain. Stevens wild eyes turned to Morgans left, and softens slightly.

“You had one too didn’t you.” He whispered. Hotch new that the rest of his team was listening to this but he had to admit it. They knew already but not in as much detail.

“Yes I did. My dad was just like yours. He hurt me because he got drunk and stressed. I wouldn’t let him hurt my brother and he got mad and hurt me worse. We really do know what your going through. If you would-“ Hotch was cut off by a laugh.

“No! You don’t! He was never drunk. He was never going to hurt anyone else. It was always just me. It was just me because I was different. I was wrong. He showed my just how wrong I was. He mushed be down and took off his belt.” Stevens voice slowly got quieter and quieter. The accent gone as the agents in front of him shared sympathetic glances. “And he hit me over and over and over again and-and” He broke off on a sob.

But someone else picked up where he left off. Morgan was startled by the voice coming from behind him. Reid had been so quiet that both he and Hotch forgot he was there. But now they noticed the shaking of his hands and the paleness of his skin.

“And he made you repeat it. Over and over and over again until you could never forget it. He made you say it was wrong and bad and horrible that you were like that. That you were smarter than him. That you were different. That you couldn’t ever change. And then he hit you some more. Only this time he was silent. And he wouldn’t even look at you because he was too disgusted. And you knew, you knew it was wrong but you didn’t know how to stop it so you hid. You hid from him and you hid from yourself and everyone else. You didn’t tell anyone what you are. What he did-“

“Reid”

“- you didn’t act on the urges. You pretended you were normal.”

“Spencer!”

Spencer looked up through teary eyes. He hadn’t even noticed that he was staring at the floor. That his hands were bloody from his nails digging into his palms that the drops of blood on the floor mixed with his own tears. When he looked up he found Steven being held by Derek. And Aaron marching up to him. The sobs of his team echoing in his ears through the earpiece.

“Sorry! Sorry I should have sat this out. I didn’t-“ Spencer was cut off as he was engulfed in a warm hug. The strong arms of his boss cradling him gently.

“You really are like me.” Steven speaks up after a brief moment where both agents forgot he was there.

“Y-yeah I guess.”

“Does it get better?”

Spencer chuckles. “Yeah.. It does”

\--  
Spencer spent the whole flight home between Derek and Aaron. With Rossi across the aisle, and JJ and Prentis across the table. Garcia stayed of face time the whole flight. Even after Spencer fell asleep with his head on Dereks shoulder.

The day after they got home spencer arrived to work to find a huge table of coffee and food.

“What’s the occasion guys?” He looked around to see the surprised and anxious faces of his team.

“We uh. Took the liberty of throwing you a coming out party. You know. To show our support.” Prentis explained.

“Not just you. But for Derek and Hotch and everyone too.” JJ added.

“Everyone?”

“Yeah. Everyone. We’re a little family and if we ever need to get anything like this out we tell each other right?” Hotch looked around.

A group of various nods and smiles responded to him.

“Only if Rossi is designated the official rich uncle.” Derek smirk as Rossi scoffed.

“I feel like he’s more of the rich grandpa.” Spencer laughed.

“Why you little shit!”

“Hey! Boys! Boys! Aaron tell them to stop chasing each other around the food.” JJ demanded in her mom voice.

“Derek! Spencer! Quit it. He’s more the weird rich old guy who lives a house down and spoils his neighbors because he doesn’t know how to keep a wife.”

“Oh my god. Prentis your recording right.” 

Needless to say, Prentis was recording.


End file.
